Regional projects and the work of emerging architects feature prominently in the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2017 National Architecture Awards.

Officer Woods, a WA-based practice only a decade old, trounced all others to take out top award for Public Architecture for its East Pilbara Arts Centre. The jury described it as a “masterstroke building-within-a-building concept” that “enabled “a group of remote Indigenous artists to make a substantial and tangible contribution to a town centre, thereby exemplifying reconciliation in this country.”

Ken Maher, jury chair and immediate past president of the Australian Institute of Architects said the projects entered into the 2017 awards were “truly exceptional work” and that the process of judging them was filled with an “unspoken shared sense of joy and admiration.”

“The jury gave preference to projects demonstrating the contribution architecture can make to the public good; projects that were inventive in their responses to context, site and program; and those that celebrated an understanding of materials and making,” Maher said.

“In reflecting on the state of architecture as observed from the visits, we were reassured by the maturity, creativity and accomplishment demonstrated by the profession across the board, from well-recognized practitioners to emerging practices and younger architects.

“Public architecture projects were strong, particularly in their contribution to community and their social and cultural benefits, where design invention has expanded the brief and delivered extraordinary value.”

In 2017, 983 entries were received, making it the largest field of entries in the almost four-decade-long history of the National Architecture Awards. In all, 72 projects were shortlisted with 44 receiving awards and commendations across 14 categories.